MLB proposes delaying salary cap and floor until 2028 season so free agency can proceed before lockout

With a lockout looming on Dec. 1, MLB doesn't want free agency at a complete standstill until then. Because of that, the league has altered one of its biggest demands ahead of collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations with the players' union.

To incentivize free-agent signings ahead of the lockout and smooth the transition to a new economic system, MLB has proposed the implementation of a salary cap and salary floor ahead of the 2028 season, rather than beginning in 2027. That could make it easier for teams to negotiate and sign free agents in November, before a new CBA is put in place.

Additionally, MLB tweaked its proposed figures for a salary cap and floor. Under the new proposal, the league would set the salary cap at $258.2 million. The salary floor would be $180.2 million. Those figures are up from MLB's previous proposal, which called for a $245.3 million cap and $171.2 million floor .

But the implementation of a salary cap and floor has not been agreed upon by the league and MLBPA. It, in fact, remains one of the most contentious issues surrounding the upcoming CBA negotiations and a nonstarter for the players' union.

While owners have pushed for a cap for many years, the league has made it the most pressing issue on the table ahead of this latest round of CBA negotiations. But the players' union has expressed vehement opposition to a salary cap for decades — and reiterated that stance on Tuesday.

MLB went as far as building an entire campaign around the idea that a salary cap and floor are necessary to "fix" the game. That campaign launched in June. Four months later, the Milwaukee Brewers, the team with the 19th-highest payroll in baseball , defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, the team with the 25th-highest payroll in baseball, in the World Series.

In its campaign, MLB focused its ire on the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the team did reach the National League Championship Series, it was the only team with an above-average payroll to reach that stage of the playoffs this year. The fourth team to play in the Championship Series was the Cleveland Guardians, who had the 30th-highest payroll last season.

Despite that outcome, MLB still intends to push for a salary cap and floor in CBA negotiations. Tuesday's proposal shows the league might be somewhat flexible with the implementation of a cap and floor, though it's unclear how much this change will stimulate the free-agent market.

And even in a scenario in which the union would be open to the idea, pushing the implementation of a cap and floor back one season doesn't truly help teams and players sign deals now. While Tuesday's proposal would allow teams to operate as normal in 2027, it still presents a ton of uncertainty for 2028 and beyond. That's a major problem for any teams or players looking to negotiate multiyear contracts.

And again, this proposal focuses on the timing of something that has not been agreed upon by the league and the players' union. A salary cap and floor are far from a certainty and might not be implemented at all.